Turkey strikes targets in Syria in retaliation for shelling deaths

From Ivan Watson, CNN

Updated 1950 GMT (0250 HKT) October 4, 2012

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling13 photos

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Smoke rises at a border gate in Akcakale, Turkey, near the Syrian border on Sunday, October 7, after a shell fired from Syria. Turkey fired on Syrian government targets in response. No was injured in Sunday's shelling, a witness said. Akcakale is the same town where five Turks were killed last week in another cross-border incident. See photos of Syria's internal violence.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling13 photos

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Turkish soldiers stand guard in Akcakale on Thursday, October 4. The stray shelling along the border has prompted Turkey to respond with threats and weapons fire, fueling concerns the Syrian civil war will bleed into a greater regional battle.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Residents check on a damaged house Thursday, where five Turkish civilians were killed by a mortar in the southern border town of Akcakale on Wednesday, October 3.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling13 photos

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – A victim's coffin is carried through town Thursday. Turkey hammered Syrian targets in reprisal for the cross-border fire that sent tensions soaring in the region, prompting international calls for restraint.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling13 photos

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – A Turkish soldier takes position in the southern border town of Akcakale. Turkish artillery hit targets near the Syrian border town of Tel Abyad for a second day on Thursday, killing several Syrian soldiers, according to activists and security sources.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling13 photos

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Turkish soldiers patrol in Akcakale. Western powers condemned the Syrian strike, with the U.S. saying it was outraged and France warning it threatened global security.

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Members of parliament attend an emergency session to discuss a bill authorizing the Turkish military to launch cross-border operations in Ankara on Thursday.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling13 photos

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Turkish soldiers march in Akcakale on Thursday.

Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Several Syrian shells crashed in Akcakale on Wednesday, October 3. Five people were killed in the attack and many others were wounded after shells fired from the Syrian border town of Tall al-Abyad smashed into buildings across the border.

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Turkey retaliates against Syrian shelling – Police officers try to help two wounded colleagues on Wednesday.

Turkey strikes targets in Syria following shelling of a Turkish border town

Turkey fired on Syrian government targets in response to the shelling of a Turkish border town in which five civilians were killed Wednesday, according to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office.

The town of Akcakale "was hit by artillery fire belonging to the Syrian regime forces," a statement from Erdogan's office said, in the first clear assertion of blame for the shelling.

"Our armed forces on the border responded immediately to this atrocious attack within the rules of engagement, and points in Syria determined by radar were hit with artillery fire," it said. "Turkey, within the confines of the rules of engagement and international law, will never leave these types of provocations aimed at our national security unanswered."

The retaliatory artillery fire marks a significant increase in tension between the two countries, and CNN affiliate CNN Turk reported that witnesses observed intermittent artillery fire from Turkey into Syria continuing into the early hours Thursday.

Syrian authorities are "offering sincerest condolences on behalf of the Syrian government to the family of the deceased and the Turkish people" and are investigating the source of the gunfire, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

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In pictures: Fighting in Aleppo – A mother holds her wounded daughter as she waits for treatment at the Dar al-Shifa hospital in the northern city of Aleppo, as fighting in Syria's second largest city continues.

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In pictures: Fighting in Aleppo – A fighter injured in the Arqub neighborhood of northern city of Aleppo is brought to a hospital on October 1, 2012, as fighting in Syria's second largest city between rebel forces and government troops continues.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Three car bombs destroyed the area around a military officers' club and a hotel in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday, October 3. At least 40 people were killed and 90 wounded, most of them soldiers, a monitoring group said.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Car bomb explosions in Aleppo on Wednesday left a crater in the ground.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Friends lay a rebel fighter on a gurney after he was shot in the chest during heavy battles in the Midan neighborhood on Monday, October 1.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – A nurse helps treat a 7-year-old girl who's neck was badly wounded by shrapnel at the Dar Al Shifaa hospital in Aleppo on Monday, October 1.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – A doctor looks at the register of dead people, stained with blood, in a hospital in the eastern sector of the city of Aleppo on October 1, 2012.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – A Syrian rebel ducks for cover during clashes to control the area around the Zacharias mosque in the old city of Aleppo.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Men carry the covered body of a child killed in an attack by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Friday, Spetember 28.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Syrians inspect damages in the old city of Aleppo after the area was shelled by Syrian regime forces on Sunday.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Smoke billows from a burning textile factory after Syrian regime forces shelled a nearby position held by rebels in the Aleppo neighbourhood of Arqub Sunday.

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In pictures: Showdown in Syria – Rebel fighters gather as they hold their position some 50 meters away from Syrian government troops during fighting in Aleppo's northern Izaa quarter on Thursday, September 27.

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"In case of border incidents that occur between any two neighboring countries, countries and governments must act wisely, rationally and responsibly, particularly since there's a special condition on the Syrian-Turkish borders in terms of the presence of undisciplined terrorist groups spread across the borders who have varying agendas and identities," said Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi.

Opposition groups in Syria said artillery fire from Turkey fell on a government military center near Tal Abyad in northern Syria's Raqqa province. Turkish military reinforcements are deployed near the border, they added.

The artillery shell fired into Turkey came from Tal Abyad, according to Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu news agency.

The North Atlantic Council, NATO's most senior political governing body, said it stands by Turkey.

The alliance "demands the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts against an ally, and urges the Syrian regime to put an end to flagrant violations of international law," the council said after an emergency meeting. The Syrian government has a recent pattern of "aggressive attacks" at NATO's southeastern border, it said.

Akcakale Mayor Abdulhakim Ayhan said earlier that three children, their mother and a female neighbor died when a house was hit. Two police officers were among those hurt, he said.

Nine people were injured when the shell landed on the town in Sanliurfa province, near the Syrian border, the Turkish prime minister's statement said.

Relations between Turkey and Syria were already under strain over Damascus' response to an 18-month-long uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

A senior U.S. defense official said the Pentagon is watching the situation with some degree of concern, "but at this point, there's nothing to suggest it's going to become a broader conflict."

The official said the reciprocal fire appeared to be a smaller-scale border skirmish rather than a large-scale aerial bombardment.

"We think this is Turkey basically saying, 'Don't mess with us. Whatever is going on inside Syria, don't mess with us,'" the official told CNN.

Both nations would have an interest in not allowing the conflict to escalate, according to the official.

"In some ways, Turkey would have more to lose in that kind of fight than Syria. They've already got a potential refugee problem coming from Syria, and a fight would only make that worse, the official said, adding that "Syria has so many problems right now, the last thing the government needs is to add another."

"The secretary-general has repeatedly warned that the ongoing militarization of the conflict in Syria is leading to tragic results for the Syrian people," Ban said. "Today's incidents, where firing from Syria struck a Turkish town, again demonstrated how Syria's conflict is threatening not only the security of the Syrian people but increasingly causing harm to its neighbors."

Musa Ozer, who lives next to the house where the artillery shell landed, was crying as he spoke on the phone with CNN in the aftermath of the attack.

"The bomb fell on us. My head's really not in the right place right now," he said. "My uncle was injured and his wife died. What am I to make of this?"

Ayhan said the shell landed on one house but debris from the impact scattered across a wider area, leading to the high number of injuries.

He also voiced the concern felt by residents of the southeastern town. "The people of Akcakale are rising up against this. They live in fear," he told CNN Turk. The mayor said the shell that caused the deaths was the second to land Wednesday on Akcakale.

Salih Aydogdu, a local neighborhood mayor, called for authorities to act to prevent such incidents.

"Over the last month, we've had these types of incident five or six times. This is a small place; every time it happens, we can hear it. We are right on the border with Syria," he said. "The people of Akcakale are upset. We want the governor and the police to take precautions. This was Turkey's most peaceful and tranquil area. Now we have neither peace nor tranquility."

For the past two weeks, schools have been closed in the town, and the teachers have left, he added.

Akcakale has been rocked by previous fighting just across the border in Syria.

Only two years ago, Syria and Turkey enjoyed cozy bilateral relations. The neighbors had instituted visa-free travel for their citizens, and cross-border trade was booming.

Diplomatic relations ruptured, however, months after the Syrian uprising began. Last March, Turkey shuttered its embassy in Damascus and the Syrian government declared Turkey's ambassador, Omer Onhon, persona non grata.

Erdogan has repeatedly denounced Syrian President al-Assad, publicly calling on him to step down after accusing him of massacring his own people. The Syrian government, meanwhile, has accused Turkey of arming and funding Syrian rebels.

CNN journalists have witnessed light weapons in the form of assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns coming from Turkey to Syrian rebels.

In addition, Turkey is currently hosting more than 93,000 Syrian refugees in camps. Turkish officials estimate another 40,000 to 50,000 unofficial refugees live in Turkey outside refugee camps.

This is not the first deadly cross-border incident between the two neighbors.

On Tuesday, Turkish officials announced at least two suspected Kurdish fighters were killed after a clash broke out along the border in Turkey's Mardin province.

In June, the Syrian government announced it had shot down a Turkish military reconnaissance jet after it crossed into Syrian airspace.

Two Turkish pilots were killed in the incident. The Turkish government continues to insist the jet was shot down by a surface-to-air missile after it left Syrian airspace -- claims that the Syrian government denies.